


(Twin) Brother and (Twin) Sister

by romymars (purple_pyro), TheWaterIsASham



Category: Baccano!
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 06:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7497411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_pyro/pseuds/romymars, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWaterIsASham/pseuds/TheWaterIsASham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trying out that restaurant all the other vessels seemed to like might have been a mistake. Shaft just wanted to enjoy his day off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Twin) Brother and (Twin) Sister

Shaft pulled out a chair at one of The Alveare's tables. It was one of his few days off and he was going to enjoy it, maybe even remind himself of why he worked with Graham in the first place. The trouble in ‘35 had been hard, both for him-as-a-delinquent and him-as-a-hive-mind, so a little relaxation was much appreciated. He saw the waitress approach from the corner of his eye, and he rattled off his order. "I'll have the honey rolls and the honey baked ham, with some honeyed wine to drink. Also I'm allergic to honey, I hope that's not a problem- Annie!?" Shaft looked up at his waitress in astonishment, surprised to find that he recognized her. She had grown up a bit, but even over five years, it was easy to recognize his sister. 

The girl turned to him, caught more off-guard than she would admit. She hadn’t seen his face until he turned around, and in her surprised she retorted rudely. "How can you eat honey-baked ham with a honey allergy?"

"I was making a joke about how everything here has honey in it. Seriously, honey crusted salmon? How many bees are you starving?" Shaft said, closing his menu and setting it on the table. “And I knew you moved to New York, but what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Honey is our specialty. Probably couldn't figure that out by the shelves of jars by the counter," Annie spat back, already remembering why she wasn't too fond of her brother. She scribbled down his order anyway, replying offhandedly "it's a respectable place to work, with a steady wage. Can I expect the same from you?"

"Hey, being a roving delinquent is a fully dignified profession, and I'm doing pretty well considering this depression." The second part wasn't a lie if you counted that he was occasionally sent money from other Sham vessels. "Also, I wouldn't be calling this place the most respectable joint in town, though I'm probably a bit biased."

Annie swiped the menu from the table, Hilton taking over to dig up any dirt she could find. "You're speaking so low of the Martillos when you work with the Russos? At least none of our execs are lunatics."

"Listen, at the moment the Russo Family is just a kid who is certainly sane, and might I add, worked for you guys." Sham was still quite protective of Ricardo. “I just live on Gandor turf these days. Weren't you supposed to be the good kid?"

"As if you're the role model big brother." Annie felt the urge to leave under the pretense of delivering Shaft's order, but it was a weak excuse, and there was something holding her in place. Probably pride. "So Ricardo Russo is really all that's left of you guys?"

"Well, Ladd is still around." Shaft shuddered, both for himself and his vessels at Alcatraz. "But no one is putting him in charge of anything. And hey, I have a steady job too, good friends, and an apartment with over 50% of the furniture intact when I last checked."

“Is that really so? And do you even want your order? If not, I'd like to sit please," Annie said.

"Well, I guess a few more bees can live." Shaft gestured to the other chair at the table, not getting up. "And trust me, that man and I spend far too much time around each other."

"Bees don't die when you harvest honey, idiot," Annie quipped as she plopped into her seat gracelessly. She didn't bother with eye contact as she spoke, staring off boredly. In reality, it was difficult for Hilton to suppress a shiver when discussing the man who had almost killed her favorite vessel. "I heard what happened when that guy got locked up. As if what he's done didn't warrant the electric chair automatically."

"Yeah, I heard too. He probably did more damage at Alcatraz than he would’ve in a normal prison. I'm glad he’s alive though, I don't think Graham could take the loss." Sham wondered just how far the story about Alcatraz had gotten, though at least he had a an alibi for knowing too many details this time.

Annie just smirked. "So this ‘Graham’ person is worth the peace and tranquillity of modern society? Ladd's kill count is high enough to keep somebody up at night."

"The fact that any peace and tranquility can exist in modern society at the same time as Graham is proof enough no one man can destroy it. And his snoring keeps me up at night as is."

Annie swallowed a chuckle, setting her elbows on the table and her chin on her bridged hands. "I suppose life goes on, even without those who die. People are strong like that." 

"Of course it does, how could it not. Nearly everyone dies." Sham knew he was pushing limits on what Shaft could reasonably know, but a side effect of using one vessel so frequently was that emotions that should be limited to one person could cloud his judgement. Perhaps Annie would attribute the strangeness to how long it had been; she wasn't acting the way she normally did in Shaft’s memories either.

For example, now she was smiling wryly. "Nearly everyone, you say?" She figured that it was either a slip of the tongue or he knew something, and though Annie had finally bothered to look Shaft in the eyes, Hilton was on guard immediately.

"There are people that say so. Especially on Gandor turf and places like this." Shaft chuckled, more a way of breaking the tension than an expression of joy. He had technically seen regeneration before, but he had no clue how much Annie knew, or how much she thought he did.

Her eyes narrowed. "So you know about the Gandor bosses then? Actually, I guess the better question is, how much?"

Somewhere, far away, a man standing alone in the woods loudly shouted "FUCK" while Shaft steadied his expression carefully. "Well, I've never seen it happen," truth, "but I've been around people who talk about it," truth, "and I've been able to put two and two together." Which could also be the truth if Sham hadn't given considerable help in the process. "Why do you ask?"

Annie couldn't help but smirk, trying and failing at being coy. "Well, immortality is something everybody would find interesting, isn't it? Even after watching it happen, it's still pretty fascinating."

"You always were nosey. Though honestly, if I were immortal, it would probably just make life worse. They can still feel pain after all.”

Annie gave the 'nosy' comment a pass this one time, feeling the conversation turn down a thornier path. "I never said I wanted to be immortal anyway. But it feels like something from fiction morphing into reality. The way it happens, it's grotesque but hypnotic. You can't look away."

Shaft gave a small simper. "Yeah, who knows what other kind of weird things exist out there. Apparently there are even artificial people, one of which could pass for a vampire." 

Hilton felt a shock of panic as warning sirens blared. She’d felt that something was off with the brother, but now he'd purposely steered the conversation towards the Lamia of all things. Better tread carefully. "Hmm. Sorta like that one freakish guy that you Russos keep around? I think his name was... Christopher?"

"Yeah. Him. He fights with Graham a lot. Seriously, they duke it out on sight every time. Honestly the only reason I know Ricardo so well is that we get left alone together while they’re fighting. But how do you know Christopher?” 

"He came around a lot during the whole Ra's Lance incident last year. It's pretty hard to forget a face like that." 

"It is indeed a face. Ra's Lance was a huge bag of worms, wasn't it? Wait, were you there?” Shaft asked.

Annie decided on a half-truth, tilting her head back in thought. "Not personally, but I've heard more than enough of the details. All that chaos and you'd think someone had planned it."

"They'd have to be a real asshole. A complete jerk. It was such a nice casino.” 

"Well, the Runoratas deserved it. You know that Melvi person?"

"Sadly." Shaft's stomach began to rumble. "The service here is really slow," he quipped.

"I was under the impression you weren't eating, since you have a honey allergy," Annie replied flippantly but stood up nonetheless. "I was going to give you a discount but I think I'll revoke it now."

"I was joking, Annie, it’s a thing people do. And what about the deep bonds of familial love that we both threw away when we got the hell away from home as soon as we were old enough? I thought those would be worth at least not having to tip.”

Annie sulked, swiping the menu from the table. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she turned to leave, muttering "you were supposed to take me with you, remember?" before striding away. 

Shaft could only sigh. He knew that not getting his sister involved with things had been the right idea, but it hurt a little bit. Sham hated moments like this too, though Shaft's separation from his sister was not his fault. He was reminded of Isaac's advice and his own goals. Perhaps he could do some good, or at least get his discount back. Who knows what Graham had broken while Shaft gone. 

Annie returned fifteen minutes later, balancing a tray on one arm as she set her brother's drink on the table. The scornful look from earlier had dissipated, though she wasn't the type to forgive and forget within half an hour. Returning the tray to the kitchen swiftly, Annie retook her seat across from Shaft and laid her head on her hands. She didn't meet his eyes anymore though, her face twisted into a frown. Shaft took a bite of his food, pausing to offer his sister some of his drink. "It’s good, if a bit sweet. The bees did not die in vain." He waited another second. "For what it’s worth, I'm sorry. I'm certain most of what I could say won't mean much but you’re probably better off here than being dragged around by Graham anyway."

Hilton had to agree with that last point; she knew more than enough about the blond to confirm any and all rumors surrounding him. Annie waved away the drink, breathing deeply as she tried to assemble her next words. "I guess I appreciate the effort, if nothing else. And... I'm glad you're doing okay."

"I'm glad you are too." Shaft smiled, taking a sip of his drink and snickering to himself slightly. "Who knows the power you can get when minds change." Sham knew it was a dumb joke but he was feeling at ease and it would be so boring to resist.

Instead, Annie cocked her head slightly, a little suspicious. Hilton had gotten the feeling that Shaft knew more than he let on, but there was no way he could know about hive minds, right? Or that Annie was a vessel? Why couldn't he just come out and say it? "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sham was a bit taken aback at the reaction. "Nothing really, just a joke about something. I doubt you would get it." 

“Well, obviously I’m not good with jokes lately. Mind explaining it?"

"Uhhhh..." Shaft blanched. Sham had no idea how to do this without revealing himself. Maybe he could change the subject, but Annie would be more suspicious of such a deflection. "You had to be there."  
Annie rolled her eyes, sinking down until her chin hit the table. "If you're gonna tell jokes, they should have a punch line."

"I'll keep that in mind." That had been close. Way too close. "So you never told me how you ended up working here?" He hoped that would work, see if Annie would accidently reveal some of her cards while not compromising his "loving sibling" appearance.

Indeed, Annie's pout changed to a small smile, and she looked around the restaurant fondly. "I met the the chef, Sena, at a farmer's market two years back. She mentioned that the restaurant she managed was hiring, and since I know some of the regular customers I decided to apply. It's a real nice place and they treat me well." None of that was a lie necessarily, just that it was actually the experiences of about three different vessels that came together for a pleasant story.

“You seem to meet nicer people than I do. And certainly in nicer circumstances." Sham made a note to try and get a vessel closer to the Martillos. He could do double duty watching Annie and Ricardo at work. Shaft continued eating his food. "Have you met anyone especially nice?"

Annie paused, the tips of her ears going red as she caught what her brother was insinuating. "There's… plenty of respectable men I've met at work here, thank you very much. What, are you thinking of chasing them off?"

"Nah, I'm in no position to chase off a nice guy. But someone has to give Mom and Dad some grandkids and there’s no way I'm doing it." Shaft laughed.

Annie made a face. "I'm 21. I'm not really thinking about children. And who wants a to raise a kid with the world in such a state of disaster anyway?"

"Who would? With this depression you'd have to sell them. I've heard there are some fathers so horrible they would offer to gives their daughters to mad scientists." It was a dig at a certain Huey Laforet, but there was no way Annie could know that.

In reality, the girl felt a shiver run up her spine at the words “mad scientist,” reminded of a specific violet-haired woman. But it was impossible that Shaft could know Renee. "Don't even suggest that."

"Sounds weird, but I heard it from the Daily Days. They know what’s what." He watched Annie’s reactions very carefully. There was no way... but he had learned the hard way not to let his preconceptions flavor his conclusions.

Annie was torn between prying for more information and ditching the conversation as quickly as possible. "I guess I've got no choice but to believe it then. But that's pretty macabre."

"Yeah. It’s scary to know just what kind of people walk among us. Though who knows, maybe the mad scientist would have treated them better." Sham knew it was blatantly untrue but he couldn't resist one last dig at Huey’s expense.

"Please stop," Annie said with a sigh. "I can't help but feel you're saying this with certain people in mind."

"Maybe I am, I live a very interesting life." Sham decided to drop the subject for both their sakes, cherishing the irony while Shaft continued with his lunch.

"Looking at your boss, I can believe it,” Annie retorted. 

"Hey, no one gets to trash Graham but me."

"It's not my fault it's so easy. Do you know the things I hear on the street?"

Shaft knew some. Sham knew them all and had once nearly clocked a stranger over it. "He's better than they say and there are things that excuse him. You don't know him."

Actually, Hilton did, and quite well. Her humiliation at Graham's hands in 1934 was still a raw wound. "I don't want to have to take your word for it, but if you enjoy taking a wrench to the gut everyday then don't let me stop you." 

"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. I could bring him here actually, do you have honey milk?"

"We have honey and we have milk, you could always mix the two together," the waitress replied, still bristling..

"You have things not mixed with honey?! Also if I told him I met my sister here he may come anyway so consider yourself warned."

"Wouldn't that be intruding on a rival family's property? Well, if he comes, I expect you to pay for the inevitable property damage."

"Currently we aren't actually employed by anyone, and I'll make sure to come with him so you can give me the bill. Maybe see if you can pour some of that elixir on the furniture beforehand so it survives."

"Elixir?"

Sham suddenly realized that that knowledge was not exactly common. He couldn't think of anything to say for it, stuttering for an explanation. "Uhhh..."

"...You really are terrible with punchlines," Annie huffed before her eyes took on a more menacing light. "Who told you?" 

"The Daily Days, you?"

"In case you didn't notice, I work here. Didn't know you had the money for that kind of secret, or the nosiness to want to learn. Is that why you're here then?"

"You'd be surprised the kind of deals you can get, and believe it or not, I came for the food." A few of Sham’s other vessels had tried the restaurant and enjoyed it,and Ricardo considered the food second to only Christopher's, so sending Shaft here for lunch had been a simple decision. One he was slightly regretting now.

Annie was still glaring, her voice growing louder until she was practically growling. "I'll pass your compliments to the chef then, but you didn't answer the question. Something like that wouldn't be part of a buy-one-get-one-free sale, you'd have to ask for it. Now why did you need to find out?"

If it had been any other vessel, Sham wouldn't be in this situation, but Shaft had the damned propensity to make stupid damned jokes and not watch his damned mouth, and so Sham was in the hole. He had wanted to understand immortality thinking in vain that it would give him some insight into Huey, and had gathered enough info to exchange for the story at the Daily Days. But it hadn't been this vessel to make the trade, and the brokers there would sell Hilton the truth for just as much. Would she investigate it and report him to Huey? Would he kill Shaft? Both felt equally terrible, though Sham knew he shouldn’t have allowed one vessel to become this precious. "Isn't understanding a need? I had the pieces and wanted the whole."

Annie wasn't happy with the answer, but she was aware of the many pairs of eyes watching her after her near outburst. "...For what it's worth, yes, it's true. But we don't exactly flaunt it around so you better not either."

"I assure you I won't. I mean, we're siblings? There has to be some leeway there. If we can't be honest with each other now then when can we ever be?" He doubted Annie would fall for such sentiments but it was worth a shot.

"Ah yes. Because we got along great as kids, and both of us are on the straight and narrow." Annie responded with a groan. "Whatever. I'm not trusting you because you're my brother, I'm trusting you because usually you understand boundaries. So don't cross them again."

"Learned my lesson, trust me. This is just been the first time in a while I've talked to someone sane and I guess I got carried away."

"Of course. Immortality makes a great conversation starter at parties, you know."

"Depends on the party. It seemed to be a popular topic at Ra's Lance."

"... Touche. Any other dirt on the Martillos you feel the need to casually mention?"

"Well, I think wearing an all-green suit is pretty tacky if that counts." Sham had nothing against Firo and in fact was rather fond of his fellow Felix Walken, but the comeback was worth it.

"Are you telling me purple is any better?" Annie scowled before leaning over and snatching her brother's hat from his head. 

Shaft immediately lunged for it, reaching across the table. “Come on Annie, it was a joke! Give it back!" He loved that hat. It had been with him through thick and thin, knife fights and wrench hits, hell he even had it before he left home.

Annie leaned back in her chair, holding the cap as far out as her arm would stretch. "No, you take it back! Firo looks perfectly nice!"

Shaft had never been one to fight fair, and this was his hat. His most precious hat. He slid his leg under the table and destabilized Annie’s chair, jumping up and grabbing his hat from her hand as she fell backwards. He grinned triumphantly before looking around the restaurant and realizing just how much of a scene the two of them were causing. Annie just grumbled, splayed out on the floor in the middle of the lunch shift. She propped herself up on her forearms and fixed her brother with a hard stare, one that didn’t change even when he offered her a hand up. Once she was back on her feet, Annie brushed the dirt from her dress and righted her chair before leaning forward to flick Shaft on the forehead.

Shaft could only laugh, moving back to his seat and sitting back down. "Sorry Annie. Guessing I still don't get that discount?"

"No chance," the girl pouted, setting her hands on her hips and looking to the kitchen where Lia was giggling.

"Well, guess I'll just have to keep coming back until I do. It seems unlikely either of us are heading back to Chicago, and talking to people who aren’t Graham or dumb enough to associate with him will do me good. May I see the dessert menu?"

“That's a bit of a backhanded compliment. Anyway, I'll be back shortly." Annie stood up, pushing in her chair before collecting Shaft’s dishes and sashaying back to the counter. Shaft hadn't meant any insult, but this was much better than risking discovery. It was nice to see his sister again, and to talk to Hilton about something other than work.

Annie returned with a smaller menu, adding "try the cannoli" as she laid it on the table. It was a short list of about 4 items, with a small advertisement to buy a bottle of Alveare-brand honey at the bottom.

"The cannoli? Does it have honey in it too? You know what, I'll have it anyway. Fuck bees." 

“Watch your language," Annie said lamely, not admitting that there was in fact a little bit of honey drizzled over the top. She held out her hand expectantly for him to return the menu, though Shaft gave her a low five before handing it back with a smile. She plucked it from his hand with an unimpressed huff, turning away before her brother could catch her smiling too. It was nice to see that Shaft hadn't outgrown his playful streak, and he could tell that Annie wasn't really upset. He'd done a lot of dumb things like this when they were younger. It was much safer to prank her than anyone else he knew. In the kitchen, Annie rang up the order while dodging questions from the other waitstaff. Sena gave her a pass on blowing off the past half hour's work on the occasion of reuniting with her brother, and when Annie returned to the table with two cannolis and the bill, there was 25% marked off anyway.

Shaft looked between her and the plate. "Why yes, Annie, I will buy a cannoli for you.” He compared the bill’s total to those of his previous vessels, cooing "awww, you do love me," before taking a bite. He’d decided that all his vessels, fellow gang members, and various friends needed to eat here more often. Maybe if Chris and Ricardo worked hard enough they could get the recipe. Despite how good it was, he gestured for Annie to take the other one.

"It comes with two. It's yours," Annie responded, hesitating before taking her seat again. Studying her brother's face, he did seem happy, or at the least he was doing okay physically. Even if she didn't necessarily like him, Annie didn't want to see him miserable. But he was sturdy enough to keep up with the Russos, so she supposed that she didn't really need to worry too much. He would know where to find her after all.   
"If you say so, these are so good." He ate the second cannoli in a few bites before flicking through his wallet to pay. "Listen, if you need anything, we've been working out of a warehouse near the edge of the Gandor turf and I'm living not far from there." Sham thought it may not be the best idea to give Hilton that kind of info, but the more he trusted her the less she should suspect him. "It’s been real nice talking to you again, we'll have to try a little harder to stay in touch from now on. Seems I'm out of small bills, so keep the change." 

He put a good bit more than the cost of the meal down on the table. Annie stared at the bills, tallying them up before looking back to Shaft. "... I can't exactly waltz down to some deserted factory all alone, but... alright. Take care of yourself, I'll be here." 

Shaft walked out of the restaurant, waving to Annie as he left. "Then I'll be back, and we'll catch a picture show sometime." Sham was finally able to turn his attention to other vessels, so all Shaft felt was happiness at seeing Annie again. He continued down the street, relishing what was left of his day off.

**Author's Note:**

> The longest thing I’ve ever written and technically I only did half of it. Adapted from an RP based off a shared headcanon inspired by these drawings [these drawings](http://the-baccano-warehouse.tumblr.com/post/58210075734/%E3%83%90%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8E%E3%83%A9%E3%82%AF%E3%82%AC%E3%82%AD-by-%E4%B9%85%E9%9B%AA) that Shaft and Annie are siblings. @hrh-gwen as Shaft\Sham and myself as Annie\Hilton, bet you never could’ve guessed the casting on that one haha


End file.
